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Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

snoy123
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

I've been debating between these two cameras for quite some time and I feel like I'm in analysis paralysis at this point.

I currently shoot with an A7III and the 200-600.

My main reasons for wanting an upgrade are:

- Better AF (bird eye AF is mostly what is drawing me towards A7IV)
- Bump in resolution for cropping
- Better burst rate
- Better viewfinder

If I choose the A7IV I get improved AF, bird eye AF, bump in resolution, newer body and viewfinder, etc. But I get no improvements in burst rate.

If I choose the A9 I get a much faster and more responsive camera, blackout free shooting, better viewfinder, but get either the same image quality or even slightly worse when compared to the A7III.

I'd love to hear any input or recommendations that users of these cameras have!

Nov 14, 2023 at 11:54 PM

aCuria
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

I have barely any experience with the A9 but I have used the A1 for work related purposes. Having the A9's higher FPS and AF speed should mean it is more likely you will get a good shot at the point after a bird leaves its perch.

With my A7iv it is more likely that the first shot of the bird on the perch is fine, but in the subsequent shots in a burst the bird may no longer be in frame... This is partially due to difficulty tracking the bird in the viewfinder due to blackout, and the lower 10fps not being enough for the small birds.

The bird eye af is nice, but its also rather hit and miss as to which birds it works with.

This is from the A7IV:

7IV07195 by acurian, on Flickr

7IV01757 by acurian, on Flickr

7IV05783 by acurian, on Flickr

7IV03711 by acurian, on Flickr

7IV03783 by acurian, on Flickr

7IV01460-DeNoiseAI-standard by acurian, on Flickr

Edited on Nov 15, 2023 at 02:38 AM · View previous versions

Nov 15, 2023 at 12:21 AM

tuomkok
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

I have the original A9. I use it mainly for events and street photography plus some family stuff. I also occasionally photoraph birds with A9, and it does everything well. High ISO preformance is very good. Thick AA-filter needs a little different approach to sharpening but overall image quality and colors are very pleasing.

Some other points. Blackout free EVF and electronic shutter are must in this kind of photography after you get used to them. I am also fairly sure that A7IV has more EVF lag. On the other hand A7IV has slightly better ergonomy - A9 has the small af-button that is a little pain when operating the camera. If you need video, then obviously go with A7IV.

Nov 15, 2023 at 01:15 AM

berimbolo
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

If you're not doing birds in flight or action (ie. egrets fishing), A7IV. If you are doing birds in flight, A9.

Nov 15, 2023 at 07:13 AM

rancherpix
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

I use my "ancient" A9 for all types of wildlife, not just BIF. Fast moving herds, wildlife take-downs, etc.-it's an absolutely essential tool for me. I often have poor shots (my fault) but never poor image quality.

Nov 15, 2023 at 07:36 AM

Maxxus46
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Recommended used A9 mkii...can be found for reasonable price. Why? The body was greatly enhanced against inclement weather with better grip and larger Z battery. A7IV while a nice camera doesn't keep up with either A9 for action.

snoy123 wrote:
I've been debating between these two cameras for quite some time and I feel like I'm in analysis paralysis at this point.

I currently shoot with an A7III and the 200-600.

My main reasons for wanting an upgrade are:

- Better AF (bird eye AF is mostly what is drawing me towards A7IV)
- Bump in resolution for cropping
- Better burst rate
- Better viewfinder

If I choose the A7IV I get improved AF, bird eye AF, bump in resolution, newer body and viewfinder, etc. But I get no improvements in burst rate.

If I choose the A9 I get a much faster and more responsive camera,...Show more →

Nov 15, 2023 at 08:06 AM

hrishikesh_b
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

I use my A9 almost exclusively for birds and birds in flight. I tried the A7IV once, and never went back to it. It felt weird. The A9 feels very seamless. I've realized that for birds and BIF you need - blackout free shooting, higher fps, and a stacked sensor for fast readouts. The A9 has all these.

Nov 15, 2023 at 09:44 AM

snoy123
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all of your opinions. Realistically the A9 is probably my best bet.

Nov 15, 2023 at 09:52 AM

saaketham
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

aCuria wrote:
This is from the A7IV:

Nice set, especially 1 and 4

berimbolo wrote:
If you're not doing birds in flight or action (ie. egrets fishing), A7IV. If you are doing birds in flight, A9.

+1

Nov 15, 2023 at 09:55 AM

IndyFab
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

snoy123 wrote:
I've been debating between these two cameras for quite some time and I feel like I'm in analysis paralysis at this point.

I currently shoot with an A7III and the 200-600.

My main reasons for wanting an upgrade are:

- Better AF (bird eye AF is mostly what is drawing me towards A7IV)
- Bump in resolution for cropping
- Better burst rate
- Better viewfinder

If I choose the A7IV I get improved AF, bird eye AF, bump in resolution, newer body and viewfinder, etc. But I get no improvements in burst rate.

If I choose the A9 I get a much faster and more responsive camera,...Show more →

Have a shooting buddy, he had a A9 & A7IV, he exclusively shoots birds, wound up selling the A9, because he had more mpix to crop using the A7IV. He said he never missed the fine focusing of the A9, because the AF is that good on the A7IV

However there is a slippery slope in all of this, he now owns an A1, the A9 and A7Iv is now history.

If your 200-600 gives you all the reach you need, then the a7IV should work for you.

However if you find your always cropping in and can swing the $$$, then consider an A1 if you exclusively shoots birds, or A7rV as a hybrid cameras and shoot birds occasionally, both will give you more Mpix

Nov 15, 2023 at 11:40 AM

Andrew CD
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

berimbolo wrote:
If you're not doing birds in flight or action (ie. egrets fishing), A7IV. If you are doing birds in flight, A9.

When I saw the question, I was going to say precisely this. @berimbolo is correct, IMHO.

In the spirit of playing devil's advocate:

One thing that might cause you to think differently is that if your bird images frequently require you to crop what comes out of the camera, you might wish to choose a camera with higher resolution.

(Having said that, I rarely get close enough to birds, but I was very happy with an (original) A9 and 200-600 for nearly five years.)

Nov 15, 2023 at 12:28 PM

davev
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Shooting large birds, either camera will work.
Shooting smallish birds, the a9 will be better.

If you're always cropping in, get the a7IV, if cropping isn't required, get the a9.

I have both, I end up cropping most photos, I use the a7IV more often.

a7IV

Nov 15, 2023 at 02:04 PM

Ayoul
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Maxxus46 wrote:
Recommended used A9 mkii...can be found for reasonable price. Why? The body was greatly enhanced against inclement weather with better grip and larger Z battery. A7IV while a nice camera doesn't keep up with either A9 for action.

A slight precision, just in case : the first A9 had already the Z battery. This battery was released during the A7III / A9 era.

Nov 15, 2023 at 03:04 PM

lattesweden
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Ayoul wrote:
A slight precision, just in case : the first A9 had already the Z battery. This battery was released during the A7III / A9 era.

The original A9 introduced in 2017 was the first 3d generation body and was also the first body sporting the then brand new Z-battery.

Nov 15, 2023 at 03:28 PM

tuomkok
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

lattesweden wrote:
The original A9 introduced in 2017 was the first 3d generation body and was also the first body sporting the then brand new Z-battery.

A9 and A7r3 share same basic dimensions (and Z-battery). I think it is quite ok with Sony GP-X1EM Grip Extension. I maybe prefer A9 grip with the extension to A9II.

Nov 15, 2023 at 03:44 PM

scrappydog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

snoy123 wrote:
I've been debating between these two cameras for quite some time and I feel like I'm in analysis paralysis at this point.

I currently shoot with an A7III and the 200-600.

My main reasons for wanting an upgrade are:

- Better AF (bird eye AF is mostly what is drawing me towards A7IV)
- Bump in resolution for cropping
- Better burst rate
- Better viewfinder

If I choose the A7IV I get improved AF, bird eye AF, bump in resolution, newer body and viewfinder, etc. But I get no improvements in burst rate.

If I choose the A9 I get a much faster and more responsive camera,...Show more →

I have the A9 and A1. The A9 is a relatively old camera, but the AF is very fast and very accurate, the blackout free viewfinder is amazing for fast moving wildlife during bursts, 20fps is more than sufficient, and used copies are very affordable. One downside to the A9 is that the dynamic range is probably lower than the A7IV. That said, for your application, the A9 would be my choice. You have a lot of range with the 200-600, especially if you use an extender, so that mitigates some of the need for more resolution.

Before I bought the A9, I tested my A7rIII against the A9 on a skimmer and all of the A7rIII shots were out of focus/blurry and every A9 shot was perfect, at the same shutter speed. That's the difference. The A9 nails the shot, no fuss, and minimizes frustration.

Nov 15, 2023 at 03:50 PM

genjy
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

IMO the A7IV has much better handling and ergonomics than the A9/A7III gen body. Not to mention the A7IV has the new menu.

Nov 15, 2023 at 03:55 PM

lattesweden
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

tuomkok wrote:
A9 and A7r3 share same basic dimensions (and Z-battery). I think it is quite ok with Sony GP-X1EM Grip Extension. I maybe prefer A9 grip with the extension to A9II.

I use that grip on my A9, I like it. It is compatible with both 2nd and 3d generation bodys, here the full list:

https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/cscs/accessories/compatibility.php?area=eu&lang=en&mdl=GP-X1EM&cat=3&loc=en_GB

Note that you must copy and paste the link, just clicking it doesn't work (I've seen this problem with links before, the forum motor strips parts of the link).

Nov 15, 2023 at 05:35 PM

jwolfe
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

Great shots!

davev wrote:

Shooting large birds, either camera will work.
Shooting smallish birds, the a9 will be better.

If you're always cropping in, get the a7IV, if cropping isn't required, get the a9.

I have both, I end up cropping most photos, I use the a7IV more often.

a7IV


	https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51892217411_8221a95597_h.jpg


	https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51815773672_18163ca785_h.jpg


	https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359323389_cde240e90f_h.jpg


	https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49705971192_d4d184e05c_h.jpg

Nov 15, 2023 at 07:42 PM

Maxxus46
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Used A9 I or used A7IV for wildlife?

But the a7iv has a much slower sensor readout (standard CMOS vs. Stacked sensors) and significant evf lag with blackout. The A9 does not have any of these issues which are critical when shooting wildlife, or any fast action

genjy wrote:
IMO the A7IV has much better handling and ergonomics than the A9/A7III gen body. Not to mention the A7IV has the new menu.

Nov 16, 2023 at 12:04 AM

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